MIAMI – It’s an unsettling coincidence at the Lakeview Garden Condominium where a second partial roof collapse occurred at one of its buildings Tuesday.
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WATCH DRONE
VIDEO OF DAMAGE HERE:
Folks who were displaced weeks ago say
things just keep getting worse.
Luis Sanchez, who lived on the second floor, is now living
out of his car.
His apartment was ransacked just one week after the first
collapse.
“They allowed us to get into the apartments twice, eight
days ago and today,” says Sanchez. “Eight days ago I could
take a couple things but today when I come to my apartment,
it was a burglary.”
Sanchez says no one is watching the building that was deemed
unsafe and made it a target for thieves.
“The gates of the condo are open permanently so there isn’t
any safety or security,” says Sanchez.
The Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources did not
determine the cause of the first collapse, but they reported
that “our inspectors observed termite and water damage and
signs of disrepair to the mansard roof that fell. While
there are likely other hidden and latent conditions that are
not observable, these are visual indicators that there were
issues with the roof, which is expected in old buildings and
in materials like wood that wear out over time.”
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava says the building’s
roof could be torn down.
“Given that we are in the worst part of hurricane season and
the roof presents a safety hazard to residents and nearby
buildings, we are exploring all possible options including
taking emergency action to demolish the remaining mansard
roof and shore up the mansard roofs on the other buildings.
If the Condo Association fails to act immediately as they
have indicated, the County may pursue these or other
emergency actions,” the statement reads.
That stated, the Miami-Dade mayor’s office told CBS4 News
that the condo association told county officials that they
have secured funding to make necessary repairs and plan to
do so in the coming week.